A Helping Hand
by Casdin
Summary: With no other option then pick pocketing, Ruby had mastered the craft and kept herself fed and clothed. Due to her heritage as a Wolf Faunus, she is essentially hated by the majority. Stealing enough just to keep herself alive. Rated M for: Cursing, implied rape and murder, abuse, and implied sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

**So before we kick this off, there will be NO sex scenes in this story. I do not write those kinds of things however, they will be implied or hinted at. This is a story I have been tossing around in my head for awhile and only just started throwing it together, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Ruby hummed peacefully to herself as she watched the sidewalks run wild with businessmen and women departing from their work and finally heading home for the evening. All of which glad the day is over with and wanting nothing more to spend the evening with their families before returning to the office for another day.

To Ruby's delight however, the one thing that these people had in common was their predictability. They were always in a hurry to catch the train or bus. Some rushing to a parking structure that held their luxurious sports car. Life between work and home was a blur for them, except for Ruby.

Pick-pocketing was an art in its own right. Much like a engineer, planning his or her next design. Ruby planned her every moment, her look, what she said and how she said it.

Satisfied that the sidewalk was crowded enough, Ruby began walking through the sea of suits. Appearing lost, she bumped into an older man holding his scroll to his ear, visibly irritated that someone bumped into him. Ruby flashed him a guilty look and apologised immediately. The man's face softened and he turned to his call, counting his daily routine.

Moving quickly through the crowd, Ruby sidestepped into a nearby alley and opened the stolen wallet - Without even bothering to look at the ID, Ruby withdrew the lien before depositing the wallet in a nearby trash bin.

She hummed to herself as she stashed the stolen money in her own wallet. The entire motion took less than ten seconds. An 'accidental bump here and a sad pout there' and she was on her way with their money.

To any novice pickpocket, the financial district was a sure way to get busted. But to the seasoned thief, it was a gold mine. Nothing provided a better shield than the lack of perception these people held.

As the flow of potential targets began to dwindle Ruby hid in an alleyway to count her catch of the day.

"34..56.. 242 Lien. Not bad today." Ruby mused, as she stuffed the stolen money into her wallet.

It was far from honest work. However it provided the means for Ruby to be fed each day and least a change of clothes. She didn't have a home per-say. She merely drifted between abandoned buildings to newly constructed ones that the construction crew had left for the evening.

The colder months were fast approaching, therefore tonight Ruby scouted a new housing project. A few homes were already set up and awaiting inspection. Ruby admired each home carefully, she dreamed that one day she would be able to live in one of these homes herself instead of squatting.

Sighing, Ruby picked the lock of a two-story home that was closest to the communities wall. She always picked these for the off chance of security or even police arriving, she could easily scale the wall and be gone before they even had a chance to find her.

Ruby toured the modeled home at her own pace. The decorations in the home were what she had found in almost every other she stayed in. The perk of this, was that there was generally a bed she could rest in for the night.

Ruby chuckled at the idea of having a real job and buying one of these nice homes. The problem was the extra set of ears planted on the top of her head, as well as her tail. Granted, she could easily hide these extra appendages, and get a job no problem. The issue with this was, it wouldn't last.

Even though Faunus earned their right beside humankind and worked together as equals, not all Fanus were giving this right. Wolf Faunus for example, were nearly extinct due to their aggressive and territorial nature. While not all Wolf Faunus possessed these traits, enough did and that was all humankind needed to formulate a decision.

Ruby however, was always able to hide her heritage. Her first night spent on the street, she stole a red hoodie. Something she could wear with the hood up to hide her ears at any giving time, as well as baggy cargo pants to hide her tail.

Ruby skipped throughout the home, exploring each room as if it held a new adventure for her. She hummed once more as she ascend the stairs to the upper floor of the home. She found the master bedroom with a king-sized bed in the middle of the well furnished room. Ruby jumped on the bed and grabbed the nearest pillow, clutching it to her chest. She let her mind drift about her fantasies before falling asleep.

* * *

Ruby awoke to the sun assaulting her eyelids.

"Freaking sun.." Ruby groaned and sat up irritably. She was far from a morning bird but she couldn't sleep in.

Between the mornings and her target group, Ruby would wander the streets of Vale aimlessly. Occasionally pickpocketing only if there was a large enough crowd to disappear in.

Checking her watch, Ruby settled for a short breakfast before she began her daily craft. As she roamed the somewhat crowded streets, she spotted a suited woman angrily yelling into her scroll. Examining the woman's motions, Ruby could easily tell the woman's income. She was obviously well paid, and sure wouldn't miss a few lien from her pocket.

The hardest part of picking pockets was determining where the wallet was. However, it was not as hard in business attire. The slight bulge in the woman's right pocket gave Ruby all the information she needed as well as a plan. The woman moved around as she spoke on the scroll, this played in Ruby's favour. She watched the woman pace before learning her movements then began walking towards her target.

With each step, Ruby began to put on a facade of being in a rush and looking panicked. This tactic sold well for marks that were more isolated from a crowd. Like a fierce predator stalking its prey, Ruby slowed her approach and waiting until she saw the perfect opening and began to speed her walking.

"No Chief I- Yes sir I will handle it as soon I arrive. No sir, it's no problem."

Ruby smiled for a brief second as she collided into the woman, quickly snaking two of her fingers into the woman's pocket and retrieving the fat leather wallet.

Ruby made a dramatic fall to the ground before scrambling to her feet. "I'm so sorry miss! I'm in a hurry and I didn't see you!" Ruby spurted out frantically as she stepped backwards rapidly.

"It's fine miss." She muttered. Ruby smiled grimly and took off.

She made it roughly fifteen feet before she heard a yell behind her.

Ruby's feet picked up into a full blow sprint as she heard the rapid movements of the woman behind her.

"Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap." Ruby muttered to herself as she swerved into a nearby alleyway. She heard the woman in hot pursuit and gaining ground.

The woman was not a typical drone that Ruby was used to, that she learned quickly. This woman clearly had experience in chasing.

Ruby opened the wallet to take its contents before dropping the wallet. It was an old tactic she used in her early stages of pick pocketing when she was caught in the past. Anyone who chased it generally stopped after receiving back their property.

As she opened the wallet, Ruby's eyes widened in horror. Next to the driver's license was a badge of the Vale Police Department. She had targeted a cop!

"Crap!" Ruby yelled. She dared peek behind her and saw that the cop was getting closer.

Ruby switched into high gear and behind running as fast and as hard as she could, jumping out of the alleyway and back onto the sidewalk. Ruby rushed through a crowd of people, hoping the wave of bodies would at least slow the angered cop, yet it didn't.

"Oh come on!" Ruby hollered and made a sharp turn back into the allies. A decision she instantly regretted. As she turned into the alley, she was met with a brick wall and two steel doors on either side.

"Crap…" She muttered once more and turned around as she heard footsteps abruptly halt behind her.

Ruby locked eyes with the cop, and flinched as she saw the piercing amber eyes that was dead fixed on her. The woman took a moment to catch her breath before marching towards Ruby.

Ruby extended the wallet with the lien still inside, hoping it would be enough for the officer to let her go with a warning.

"You want to explain yourself?" She asked.

The question derailed Ruby for a moment. She met the officer's amber eyes once more before looking shamefully to her feet.

"I just needed money.." Ruby muttered.

"So your way getting money is by stealing?" The woman's words stun Ruby. She was stealing and she knew it was wrong, but what else could she do?

"Yes…"

"Why?" She demanded.

Ruby remained silent as she held the wallet out. After a few moments, she finally took the wallet but didn't leave. Ruby expected she wouldn't, being a police officer.

The woman sighed loudly. "Look.. I understand living in the city can be difficult. But you can't go around pickpocketing people. Why are you doing this?" Ruby listened to each word carefully. The woman no longer sounded angry but more concerned.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby took off her hood, revealing her wolf ears. Ruby held her eyes shut, waiting for insults about being a wolf Faunus, but she received none.

Ruby opened an eye and saw only concern spreading across the woman's features.

"So that's why. You're a Wolf Faunus." She scratched her head as she began to think. "What's your name?"

Ruby hesitated for a moment. "R-Ruby." The woman smiled briefly.

"My name's Blake. And I'm sure you looked into that wallet and saw what I am." Ruby nodded. "So you know I can't exactly turn a blind eye to this." Ruby nodded once more.

"Please don't arrest me!" Ruby pleaded. "Wolf Faunus aren't liked by even other Faunuses and I don't know what they'll do to me in jail!" Blake held up her hand.

"I know what would happen, Ruby. I do. I'm not arresting you." Ruby relaxed a little. "But I can't let this go, do you live with anywhere or have any guardians?" Blake asked. Ruby stiffened and shook her head.

"N-No. I was kicked out of the orphanage once I turned fifteen." Ruby said.

Blake hummed in thought before speaking. "How often do you do it?"

"Everyday." Ruby said.

"Where does it all go and how much do you take?" Blake asked.

"N-Not much and it goes to me.. I just need enough for clothes and food.." Ruby wiped her eyes quickly to avoid breaking down.

"Okay." Blake said, after a sort moment of silence. "How old are you now?"

"Eighteen.." Blake raised an eyebrow. She remained silent as she watched the shaking Wolf in front of her.

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. You are going to come with me." Ruby snapped her head towards Blake in fear.

Seeing the fear, Blake held up both of her hands. "Not to the station, to my apartment. I can't have you roaming the streets stealing from people so I need to figure out what to do with you till then."

Ruby waited a few moments, weighing her options. If she ran now, Blake would only chase her and if she was lucky enough to escape, the police would be on the look out for her. Ruining her only source of income. If she agreed then might be turned in later or might not at all!. Examining each one closing Ruby sighed and nodded to the Officer.

If she chose the run then she would surely be arrested and sent to jail.

Blake smiled. "I promise I'm not going to turn you in. Now come on, my place is actually close by."


	2. Chapter 2

The trip to the officer's supposive nearby apartment was silent, excluding the idle chatter of the people they passed. Ruby strained to keep her eyes to herself and not to the exposed purses hanging on the back of chairs of cafes or the common oblivious businessman who is stuck on his phone to worry about pick pocketers.

"And here we are." Blake said, breaking the silence.

Ruby finally looked up at the massive apartment complex. It was one of the more luxurious ones in the residential district that borderlined the financial district that Ruby preyed upon day after day.

"Neat." Ruby commented and followed the officer up the short steps leading to the lobby.

Ruby half expected there to be some door man wearing a silly hat to greet Blake. Most apartments of this calibur did.

As Blake pressed the up arrow of the elevator, she turned to Ruby.

"Quick rule. I know what I have in my home and I know exactly where it is. I don't want to see something missing. If I do, then I will take you directly to the station, am I understood?" Ruby nodded quickly.

"Good."

Ruby buried her hands in her hoodie's front pocket and made a note to keep them there at all times. The last thing she wanted was to wrong Blake anymore then she already had.

The wait for the elevator was torture to Ruby. She nearly rushed into the elevator as soon as it reached the lobby.

Ruby watched the officer hit the button labeled 7 and stand perfectly still by the control panel. After a short moment, Blake broke the silence.

"How is it?" Blake asked quietly.

Ruby's ears perked up underneath her hood. "Huh?" She said.

"How is it being.. A wolf Faunus?" Blake asked louder.

"Oh…" Ruby shifted between feet, attempting to link together any form of sentence that could describe what she is forced to deal with daily.

"Hard." Ruby said at last.

"Not easy being a faunus anywhere. They say we're all equal together but.. reality is humans don't trust the faunus now more than they did before. We all just tolerate each other a little more every day." Ruby watched as Blake's eyes stared into nothing as she spoke.

Her gaze was immediately directed towards the dark bow resting on top of her head. She swore she saw it twitch.

"Did your bow just twitch?" Ruby asked without thinking.

Blake blinked rapidly as her thought process was severed. "Oh. Right. I'm sorry." Blake undid her bow and let the fabric fall into her palms.

"Your a Faunus too?!" Ruby yelled, instantly regretting raising her voice in a confined space.

"Ow." Blake commented, rubbing her ears gently from the sudden change of volume. "Yes I am."

Ruby let out a long breath. "Oh my god.. I thought you were a human and we're going to do something weird to me because I'm a faunus!" Ruby laughed.

Blake only looked at the wolf with a sudden wave of concern at her words.

"Has.. that happened to you?" Blake regretted asking, as she saw Ruby quickly put her hood back up and stare at the corner of the lift.

Blake opened her mouth to apologise but decided against it and just to remain quiet for the rest of the trip.

To their delight, the elevator let out a faint _ding._ "Come on." Blake said, and lead the wolf faunus down the hall.

"Here we are." Blake said, opening the door for Ruby to enter.

Compared to the outside, the apartment wasn't anything special. Simple furnishings, similar to that of the model homes she commonly stayed at. The place as as dull as one could make it, there wasn't even any pictures of family or friends.

"Did.. you just move in or something?" Ruby asked, gesturing to the plain living room.

Blake shut the door behind her and let out a faint chuckle. "Not exactly. I've been living her for almost three years. I basically live at the station rather than at home, considering I'm the ' _First ever Faunus detective'_ or whatever. They give me a lot of work."

Blake gestured towards the simple dark couch sitting against the wall. Ruby accepted the gesture silently and watched Blake walk into the small kitchen.

"Would you like anything?" Blake peered around a wall concealing the simple kitchen.

"Water, thank you." Ruby responded. She felt like a child waiting for a best friend to hurry up and meet her while she was stuck with the parents.

"Soo.. first faunus detective huh?" Ruby asked, breaking the silence. "How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty. I'm turning twenty-one in a few weeks. Usually you have to be older and more experience but for political reasons they wanted a faunus to be a detective to reinforce the point of equality." Blake walked out of the kitchen with two small glasses of water and extended one to Ruby who accepted it with a nod.

Blake grabbed a wooden chair from the kitchen and placed it across from Ruby. "Enough about me. I wanna know more about you and why you are roaming the streets stealing." Ruby began to squirm slightly under Blake's amber eyes. She was at the mercy of the young detective and anything she didn't like she could easily throw Ruby in a cell.

"W-Well.. What do you want to know exactly?" Ruby asked.

Blake hesitated a moment, as she began to string together questions. "Where are your parents?" She asked carefully.

Ruby flinched and dropped her gaze to the carpet. "I don't know." Ruby said quietly.

"Do you remember their names? I could look them up and see if I can find them."

"Don't bother." Ruby replied harshly.

If this were any other person Blake would have backed off immediately. But this wasn't just any person. Wolf faunus were becoming a rare group every day and she needed to know where to send Ruby so she could be safe.

"Ruby, I-"

"My dad was a piece of shit who raped my mother day-after-day then sold her to the highest bidder to which they did the same before killing her and he tried to do the same to me before I ran away and made it to Vale to which I was picked up by police and they stuck me in a orphanage to where I was abused by the other kids and kicked out early by the owner and left to fend for myself. Happy?" Ruby said with a strained smile.

"Next question?"

Blake blinked. She had not expected that answer nor for Ruby to tell her such a horrific experience so blunlty.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Blake hesitated. "How did you learn to pick pocket?" She asked, hoping to change the tone from family to literally anything.

Ruby no longer strained to keep a smile painted across her face. Instead, it was replaced with a neutral, emotionless expression.

"A friend." Ruby stated.

"I'm guessing you won't tell me the name of this friend?" Blake asked.

Ruby shrugged and remained silent, much to Blake's annoyance.

"Right.." Blake muttered silently to herself, as she placed her cup of water down on the simple coffee table between the two women.

"I'm just going to straight out ask. How long do you plan to do this? Do you even have an end-goal, Ruby?" Blake's eyes locked onto silver.

Ruby's neutral expression began to crack as she processed the question. What was her goal in life? Did she plan to steal her whole life until she was either arrested or killed? She knew she couldn't do it forever. However, who would hire a wolf? Who would sell a home or rent an apartment to one?

"I...I.." Ruby was at a loss. Everyone despised the wolf faunus and no one would ever help one in distress.

Blake saw Ruby's discomfort and frowned. She didn't want to cause Ruby anymore harm then what life had thrown at her just for how she was born but Ruby needed to face reality and that face that she couldn't continue doing what she was doing.

"I'm.. not sure.." Ruby finished. "I've just been living each day and.. never really thought of the future that much.." Ruby let out a harsh laugh.

"Who wants a damn wolf fanuas as an employee? Or as a friend? Or anything." Ruby dropped her head and buried her face in her palms. She felt her face begin to heat up as tears rushed from her eyes.

Blake stood up from her chair and sat next to the crying wolf, wrapping her arms around Ruby.

Ruby remained still, crying softly in her palms as Blake attempted to comfort her. The two faunus sat there for what felt like hours, before Ruby finally spoke.

"I stole this hoodie the first night I was stuck on the street to hide my ears. Even with this hoodie, one wanted a damn faunus kid." Ruby said through a choked voice. She looked up from her palms, and Blake could see the pure silver eyes begin to strain with red streaks.

"W-Why does everyone h-hate me.." Ruby said. "Just because I'm a wolf?"

"Shh.." Blake whispered. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that Ruby. I really am.."

Blake's mind began to race as she was thinking of just what she was going to do with Ruby. Most employers hesitant to even hire a faunus in general, but a wolf faunus they would shut down the minute she opened her mouth. Homeless shelters would be just as bad as the cell block. Anyone could abuse her during the first night. With the alternatives presented, Blake released a long sigh as she rubbed circles in Ruby's back.

"You.. can stay with me tonight until we figure things out. Okay? I can't have you robbing people and..I don't know but we'll figure things out." Ruby just nodded in Blake's shoulder.

"Can we.. stay like this for a little longer.." Ruby asked quietly.

Blake smiled and tightened the embrace. "Of course."

Ruby had no idea why she told Blake anything. The lack of contact took a severe toll on the young wolf, and Ruby only knew she didn't want to lose the warmth Blake was providing for awhile. It was a feeling she never experienced, and she didn't want to lose it so soon.

Ruby sighed deeply and slowly began to drift to sleep in Blake's arms.

* * *

Ruby awoke the mid-afternoon sun penetrating the curtainless windows and laying siege on Ruby's eyes.

"Freaking sun.." Ruby muttered, as she pushed herself up from the couch and into a sitting position.

The first thing Ruby noticed was the dark blanket covering her lower body and the lack of the officer. She scanned around the living area and saw the digital clock above the television read 3:30 PM.

Ruby rubbed her eyes as she yawned. "Wow I really slept." She muttered and stood up from the couch, letting the blanket slide down onto the carpet.

Feeling thirsty, Ruby looked around for the cup of water Blake had given her and spotted it across the room on the counter of the kitchen. As she made her way across the room, she heard a faint noise coming from what she presumed to be the bedroom.

Curious, Ruby ignored her dry throat and walked closer to the door. As she approached she could make out Blake's voice and it sounded as if she were talking to someone, yet Ruby didn't hear another speaker.

"-Can you look up where people would take Wolf faunus?" Ruby's heart sank as she listened to Blake. Fear began to rush in, as she imaged that Blake was using her kindness as a mask just to lure her in and sell her off. Other faunus were no different than humans when it came to the treatment of wolves.

"-She's a Wolf Faunus, Yang. Someone would buy her, you know as well as I do how the people in Vale are."

That was all Ruby needed to hear.

Quickly and quietly, Ruby rushed out of the door of the apartment, closing it softly before running as fast as she could down the hall to the elevators.

* * *

"I'm not sending her to one of those places Yang." Blake said.

"Well what else can you do Blake? If she can't go to a work-camp to earn at least some wages or to a homeless shelter then I don't know what else to say. A lot of faunus and humans go to work-camps to least get something on a resume or get money. She could just say she's a fox faunus or something." Blake rubbed the bridge between her eyes irritably.

"She's just gonna stay with me until then. Maybe I can pull off calling her a fox, her ears are similar. Thanks anyway Yang. I'll be coming in tomorrow morning. Chief Branwen is breathing down my neck about the apparent White Fang reports." Yang let out a brief laugh.

"Have fun with that. See ya tomorrow kitten." Blake tapped the red button labeled _'end'_ on her scroll and dropped it on her bed.

"Let's go wake Ruby." She said to herself. As she walked into the living room, she immediately saw the blanket laying on the carpet.

"Ruby?" She called out. When she received no answer her eyes widened.

Ruby was gone.

* * *

 **Something about this chapter bothers me but oh well. Hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

Another day, another dollar.

Or for Ruby, another day, another wallet.

After running from Blake's apartment, Ruby forced herself to ' _take a sick day'_ from her line of work due to the fear of Blake looking for her. However, she couldn't take another _'sick day'_ as she needed cash.

Ruby hummed a tune that she heard from a nearby cafe as she strolled carelessly to her regular hunting grounds. The work force would be getting off shift and heading home, blinded by their scrolls or music players. The perfect prey for Ruby Rose.

The increase of the workers getting off work meant that the sidewalks and roads would be crowded, making her invisible even with her noticeable red hoodie.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir!" Ruby said as she brushed passed a tall man wearing a white coat and a ballar hat.

The man was engrossed in his scroll call, that he only gave Ruby a slight glare before resuming down the street.

Ruby shifted through the sea of black and white and sidestepped into an alley once more to collect her catch and move on to the next.

As she opened the wallet, she was met with possibly the largest amount of lien in a single wallet she had ever seen! She had pickpocketed bankers, managers, even the CEO of the major dust company supplier and none of them had this much.

Quickly, Ruby snatched the loot and dropped the wallet on the ground. She would count her catch later, as always.

As the day resumed, Ruby thought nothing of the police officer who found her. Ruby put the memory of Blake to the far reaches of her mind, the same place she stuck the memories of her _'father'_.

"Sorry sir!"

Ruby said quickly as her fingertips latched onto the man's wallet in his jacket like a claw, she buried her hand holding her catch into her hoodie pocket as she turned and flashed the man an embarrassed smile. He returned the gesture with a simple nod and continued his journey.

At times, Ruby wondered just how foolish these people have to be to not be aware of pickpockets. With their high paying jobs, she thought some degree of intelligence was present but as her experience and skill grew she learned that the poor are more protective of their possession then the wealthy.

As the streets died down, Ruby decided to call it a night and count her _'earning'_ for the evening. Leaving the financial district of Vale, Ruby wandered the dimly lit streets as she watched the sunset in the horizon. It was one of the things Ruby enjoyed most as she lived each day in the moment as best as she could and tried her hardest to always enjoy the smallest things in life. Something her _'prey_ ' never seemed to grasp seeing as they're always caught up in meaningless tasks. Ruby opted to count her 'earnings' once she was in a more safer environment, away from the streets and any prying eyes. A new housing project was currently in progress just a few blocks away from the financial district, therefore it offered a more luxurious model homes for Ruby to spend the night in.

As Ruby continued down the sidewalk, the number of people diminished to an occasional car passing by. Suddenly, Ruby's ears began to flick to the familiar sound of dress shoes tapping against the sidewalk at a calm but quickened pace. This alone wasn't anything out of the ordinary, plenty of individuals wearing dress shoes passed Ruby by on her journey. However the sudden feeling of dread after every step overtook Ruby's instincts and told her to quicken her pace and escape the tapping behind. With every step Ruby took the tapping behind her grew closer.

Going against her gut feeling, Ruby risked a glance at her supposive pursuer. Praying inside that it was just a random coincidence and just her imagination. This was not the case sadly. As she turned, her eyes immediately noticed the bright white jacket. It was from the man she had preyed on in the sea of black suits. No one else had sported such a noticeable difference, nor did anyone else possess a large sum of lien in their wallets. Whoever this man was, he knew that Ruby had stolen from him.

Fearing the worse possible outcome, Ruby broke into a sprint. There was no way anyone in business attire could keep up with her. At least that's what she had thought. As she risked another glance, she stared in horror as she saw that the man was gaining ground on her. All of a sudden, he was within grabbing distance and he extended his arm. In an attempt to avoid his grip, Ruby zig-zaged off the street and immediately lost her footing on the curb and kissed the asphalt of the road.

Cursing to herself, Ruby pushed herself up but was shoved down by a sudden weight on her back.

"Quiet the chase there, Red." The man said in between breathes. "I presume you did not expect me to notice the sudden emptiness in my pocket

The man removed his shoe from Ruby's back and yanked her upright by her arm. As she was forcefully pulled up, her hood fell upon her shoulders, revealing her heritage.

"Oh? What might this be?" The man asked curiously. He examined the top of Ruby's head and a small smirk formed. "Ah, wolf faunas. Havn't seen much of your kind around." He commented.

Ruby struggled helplessly to break free from this man's grip, but failed.

"Ah da da!" He tightened his hold on Ruby. "You're going to pay back what you stole."

"I still have our wallet! Here just take it and the rest of what I took!" Ruby pleaded.

The man thought for a moment then extended his hand to her. Ruby scrambled in her hoodie's front pocket for her collection and forfeited it to him. The man examined the amount in his hand and shifted through the large sum of lien. He locked eyes with Ruby and nodded and released her entirely. Ruby was about to dash away when he suddenly offered half of the stolen money back to Ruby.

"What are.." Ruby asked but he cut her off.

"You work for me now, wolf." He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a cigar and lighter. "You have skill, that's for sure but your technique is flawed." He lit his cigar then reached back into his coat pocket to retrieve his scroll.

His finger danced on the screen for a brief moment before showing the interface back to Ruby. "It's currently Wednesday. Starting next week, every Friday you will pay me fifty percent of what you claim. In exchange, I'll teach you refinement and provide you with a roof over your head. It's apparent you dwell on the streets."

Ruby shifted uneasily. She expected to be let go and that being the end of it. "And.. what happens if I refuse?" She asked.

The man took a long puff of the cigar before blowing it in the night sky.

"Then I'll just turn you over to that pro-faunas group. I hear they really like wolf faunus. Especially the females." Ruby felt her body go cold. She had no choice this time.

"Okay.." She muttered quietly.

"Fantastic. Let's go." He threw his cigar down on the sidewalk and stomped on it before walking in the direction they came.

With no clear way out, Ruby wordlessly followed the man into the night.

* * *

 **I apologize for the delay of this.** A lot of things happened last week and demanded my attention more. Anyway thanks for reading, I've already began transferring the next chapter from my notebook to a word doc.


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